After a car accident in New York City, insurance adjusters are often friendly, making the claims process seem straightforward. Despite appearances, however, the insurance company’s goals do not align with yours. To protect your claim and ensure you recover the full value of your damages, it is important to understand the insurance company’s goals and tactics during the claims process versus your own.
Need legal help after a car accident? If so, our experienced New York City car crash attorneys at The Bongiorno Law Firm are prepared to help. Our goal is to protect your rights and financial interests, which includes ensuring you do not inadvertently say or do things that could harm your case.
Why the Insurance Company’s Goals Do Not Align With Yours
Insurers are profit-focused businesses that aim to protect their financial interests, resulting in strategies that minimize payouts to policyholders. The outcome of this approach leaves you, the injured policyholder, potentially receiving significantly less compensation than you deserve.
Having legal representation prioritizes your legal rights and best interests, not the goals of the insurance company, helping to ensure that your financial interests and legal rights are the focus of your claim.
7 Common Tactics Used by Insurers to Reduce or Devalue Your NYC Car Crash Claim
Insurance companies frequently use strategies to reduce their financial responsibility. Understanding these tactics can help you secure a fair settlement:
1. Contact You Soon After Your Accident
Insurers often reach out quickly after an accident to gather information in hopes that you have not yet contacted an attorney. They also know you are still in a vulnerable state and recovering from your injuries. This gives them the opportunity to ask you questions that take you off guard, using your responses against later in ways that could undermine your claim. Be cautious; anything you say may be taken out of context and used against you.
2. Request a Recorded Statement
A recorded statement may seem routine, but it can harm your case. Insurance adjusters are trained to ask questions in ways that might lead you to make statements that could hurt your claim.
We recommend seeking legal help before providing any type of recorded statement.
3. Offer a Quick, But Low Settlement
After an accident, insurers may attempt to manipulate victims’ who are feeling the financial pressure of mounting medical bills and other damages. They often exploit this by offering quick settlements while victims are still recovering.
Any amount the insurance company offers you so soon after an accident will likely be far less that the actual value of your claim. The reason we know this is that the full value of your claim cannot be known until you have finished your medical treatment and have recovered as much as possible.
4. Convince You to Sign a Medical Authorization
Insurance companies might request that you sign a medical authorization granting access to all your medical history. We urge claimants not to sign this without first speaking to a lawyer. These medical authorizations typically give full access to all of your medical records, giving insurers the opportunity to find and use past medical conditions to argue that your current injuries are unrelated to the accident.
While they will need to review your medical records if you are claiming injuries, they do not need to see your entire medical history. We ensure they only see the records that are relevant to your case.
5. Deny or Shift Liability
A common tactic is denying liability or shifting blame, often claiming you were partially or fully at fault. This approach is designed to minimize or deny your compensation.
6. Blame Pre-Existing Conditions
Insurance companies may reference your medical history to claim that your injuries are pre-existing rather than caused by the accident. This tactic is designed to devalue your claim and limit financial responsibility. However, a crash may have worsened existing injuries, requiring you to need more treatment.
7. Hire Private Investigators
Insurers may sometimes employ private investigators to monitor you. The purpose of this tactic is to find evidence that shows your injuries are less severe than you claimed or that your activities contradict your reported limitations.
My Insurer Said I Do Not Need a Lawyer – Is This True?
If your insurer discourages hiring a lawyer, consider it a warning sign. Insurers know that legal representation can significantly strengthen your position. Attorneys are skilled at negotiating fair settlements, identifying unfair practices and ensuring your rights are protected.
Without legal representation, you may struggle to contest low settlement offers or fall victim to unfair practices. Remember that an insurer’s advice often aligns with their interests, not yours.
Why Contact a Lawyer After a NYC Car Crash?
The challenges after a side-swipe, rear-end collision or other type of car accident could be overwhelming. Between medical care, property damage and lost wages, navigating the claims process is challenging enough without facing aggressive insurance tactics.
Hiring an experienced injury lawyer in NYC helps to level the legal playing field. A lawyer can:
- Investigate your accident to gather critical evidence
- Handle communication and negotiations with insurers
- Accurately calculate the total value of your damages
- Advocate for your best interests, even if that means taking the case to court
With a lawyer, you can focus on your recovery while ensuring your claim is handled professionally and fairly. Do not let insurers prioritize their profits at your expense—get the compensation you deserve.
Need Help with Insurers? Contact The Bongiorno Law Firm Today
If you have been involved in a car accident in New York City, do not let insurers take advantage of you. The Bongiorno Law Firm is here to help protect your rights and ensure you get the full compensation you deserve.
Contact us today for a free consultation. We have a history of proven results, and there are no upfront costs or fees to pay. We only get paid if you do.
